The Maritime Museum and International Slavery Museum close this week ahead of a £81m redevelopment
The proposed new entrance pavilion to the International Slavery Museum(Image: Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios)
People keen to learn about Liverpool’s seafaring past and its role in the abhorrent transatlantic slave trade have just a few days left to explore two Royal Albert Dock museums. The Maritime Museum and International Slavery Museum will close on Sunday, January 5, for maintenance works ahead of a £81m redevelopment.
The two museums, both located in an old Grade-I listed warehouse on the famous docks, will remain closed until 2028. National Museums Liverpool received planning permission to expand the museums last year as part of the Waterfront Transformation Project, preserving the city’s sprawling past for future generations.
The International Slavery Museum will receive a new entrance in the Dr Martin Luther King Jr Building, with a striking iron and glass bridge connecting to galleries in the Hartley Pavilion. The building will also receive a new community learning area, while an improved welcome area will be built in the Maritime Museum. There will also be improved commercial facilities, including a shop, café and events spaces.
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Kossy Nnachetta, partner and architect at Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, working on the redevelopment, said: “We are excited about the designs; the engagement they encourage and the stories they tell. This project – like both museums within it – embodies a determination that our collective and shared history is expressed. It boldly addresses themes of restorative justice through space; which is fitting for the first museum in the world dedicated to the transatlantic slave trade. Liverpool, the UK and the world is ready for this.”
The new exterior plans from the north side of Canning Dock(Image: Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios)
National Museums Liverpool announced FCB Studios as the new team leading the the £81m project in January 2024, five months after cutting ties with former architect Sir David Adjaye following a string of sexual harassment and assault allegations. The new team has been working with the University of Liverpool School of Architecture and exhibition designers Ralph Appelbaum Associates.
Laura Pye, director of National Museums Liverpool, said: “Both the Maritime Museum and International Slavery Museum have welcomed millions of visitors over the years. Their collections and stories have an international reputation.
“However, for both museums, redevelopment is now essential to ensure they survive for many more generations to come. From creating a new sense of identity and prominence for the International Slavery Museum on Liverpool’s historic waterfront, to ensuring our collections are properly cared for through improved environmental controls, this is important work which will create world class spaces, worthy of the collections they hold and the location they’re in.
“We know Liverpool’s waterfront will feel the loss of the museums while they’re closed, but this will be temporary, and we hope as many people as possible will seize the chance over the next few weeks to visit us and share their memories of both museums.”
This week’s opening times for the Maritime Museum and International Slavery Museum
- 11am-4pm, January 1
- 10am-5pm, January 2 to January 5
- Closed, January 6